The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is working on the Next Generation Train project to create the train of the future. A quiet double-decker, it will travel at a speed of 400 kilometres per hour. For this project, the DLR Institute of Vehicle Concepts in Stuttgart is heading an interdisciplinary team comprising eight DLR institutes. The central objective is to drive research and development efforts into the next generation of high-speed trains. To this end, DLR researchers are examining a host of issues: how train speeds can be increased while at the same time halving specific energy consumption levels, how to make trains quieter, more comfortable and safer, how to optimise wear characteristics and lifecycle costs, how to to build trains more cost-effectively through modularisation and system integration, and how development and approval processes can be made more efficient.